China is increasingly becoming a central hub for global diplomacy, demonstrated by high-level visits from leaders like Russia's Putin and former US President Trump. This signifies Beijing's evolving role beyond balancing rivals.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in Beijing this week, just days after US President Donald Trump departed, following his summit with President Xi Jinping, the choreography will not be merely diplomatic. It will be show of “civilisational theatre”. For years, analysts framed China as a power caught awkwardly between a revanchist Russia and an increasingly hostile United States. That interpretation now looks obsolete. Beijing is no longer balancing between rival poles; it is...